Maps of Music

Flag (1979)

Where the lyrics of Flag take you, and where it was really made.

The album was not well received, yet Taylor's cover of Up on the Roof became its hit.

Key places

Recording and mixing at The Sound Factory (1979)

Recording site The Sound Factory — The album was recorded and mixed at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California. The point marks the building and is not a session date. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording session at Atlantic Studios (1979)

Recording site Atlantic Studios (New York City) — A recording location for the album is listed as Atlantic Studios in New York City. Session dates and the tracks recorded here are not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording session at Mediasound Studios (1979)

Recording site Mediasound Studios — A recording location for the album is listed as Mediasound Studios in New York City. Session dates and the tracks recorded here are not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Flag: ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor
• Released May 1, 1979
• Includes songs from the music score for Stephen Schwartz's Broadway musical Working
• Millworker and Brother Trucker come from that score
• Working is based on the book by Studs Terkel
• Cover: a modified form of the signal flag O (Oscar), standing for man overboard
• Producer: Peter Asher

Background

• Working is a Broadway musical based on a book by Studs Terkel
• Rainy Day Man first appeared on Taylor's self-titled debut album and was re-recorded for this record
• Up on the Roof is Taylor's cover of a Gerry Goffin and Carole King composition
• Day Tripper is a Lennon and McCartney composition covered on side one

Recording

• Recorded and mixed at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California
• Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood
• Engineer Val Garay, assistant engineers Lincoln Clapp and George Ybarra
• Musicians include Don Grolnick, Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar and Russ Kunkel
• Some sessions were also held at Atlantic Studios and Mediasound Studios in New York City

Cover

• Art direction and design by John Kosh
• Photography by Mark Hanauer

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early years

• Born March 12, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts; raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
• Learned guitar in 1960, influenced by hymns, carols and Woody Guthrie.
• Spent time in a psychiatric hospital and struggled with heroin addiction in his youth.

Career

• Formed the Flying Machine in New York in 1966; the group broke up after a single.
• Signed to Apple Records in 1968 as the first non-British act on the label.
• Breakthrough with Sweet Baby James (1970) and the hit "Fire and Rain", both reaching No. 3.
• First No. 1 hit with "You've Got a Friend" (1971), written by Carole King.
• Greatest Hits (1976) is one of the best-selling albums in US history, certified Diamond.
• Won six Grammy Awards; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
• Reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Before This World (2015) after a 45-year wait.
• Continues to tour actively as of 2026.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The New York Times wrote that Taylor's vulnerable tenor and the glossy production by Peter Asher conspire to court blandness
• The album was not well received by critics
• Taylor's cover of Up on the Roof nonetheless became a hit for the album
• On the May 12, 1979 episode of Saturday Night Live, Taylor was the musical guest
• On that episode he performed three songs from the album: Up on the Roof, Millworker and Johnnie Comes Back
• The album has twelve tracks, six on each side
• Side one opens with Company Man and side two closes with Sleep Come Free Me
• Rainy Day Man was re-recorded for this album after first appearing on the debut album
• Millworker and Brother Trucker were taken from the score for the Broadway musical Working
• Peter Asher is credited as producer, and his glossy production is the point the Times criticized

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The cover shows a modified signal flag O (Oscar), which stands for man overboard.
• Rainy Day Man first appeared on Taylor's debut album and was re-recorded for this record.
• On May 12, 1979, Taylor was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
• The Up on the Roof cover became a hit even though the album itself was not well received.
• Day Tripper, a Lennon and McCartney song, is one of the covers on side one.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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